Blacktown

Husband-and-wife Yibeltal Tsegaw and Rahel Woldearegay moved from Ethiopia to Australia two decades ago and opened Gursha in 2017. Tsegaw runs the modest dining room, guiding newcomers through the differences between mitmita and berbere spice blends, while Woldearegay leads the one-woman kitchen.

The tangy injera is some of the best around, and the restaurant is also something of a community club for Sydney’s East African families, who regularly gather here for thick and fiery wots. There is laughter, there is music, and the air is heavy with incense and potent coffee.

You don’t walk away from a weekend lunch at Gursha – or any Ethiopian table, for that matter – thinking, “Well, that was a bit dull, let’s just stay home next time.”